Spectators to return for St Leger
A LIMITED number of spectators will be permitted to attend next month’s St Leger meeting at Doncaster after the Government gave permission for the track to stage a ‘ pilot’ event.
The announcement follows the cancellation of a ‘ test’ event at Goodwood on August 1 after a spike in Covid cases.
Now the St Leger festival from September 9- 12 will be the forerunner for other trial schemes at
Warwick on September 21, and Newmarket between September 24- 26.
These will be the forerunner to more fans being permitted to return to sporting fixtures from October 1.
Each racecourse was required to submit a detailed risk assessment. Each fixture has been selected to provide a detailed case study for other venues to follow.
David Armstrong, chief executive of the Racecourse Association, said: “We are pleased to receive confirmation of our pilot events to welcome back crowds to racecourses.
“We are confident the events selected will provide strong case studies which will be of use to all. The disappointment of postponing our last confirmed pilot at Goodwood was felt across the sport, but the learnings and behind- the- scenes work have been of great value to others.”
Doncaster is planning for a maximum of 3,640 general admissions on the Wednesday, rising to 6,202 on the final three days of the fixture.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, with the track’s owners Arena Racing Company underlining a new code of conduct will be in place for all attendees along with a number of additional facilities to allow racegoers to maintain social distancing, personal hygiene and other measures.
■ Julie Camacho will try to win the William Hill Beverley Bullet for a second consecutive year when Makanah lines up in the £ 30,000 Listed sprint.
The North Yorkshire trainer claimed the five- furlong dash 12 months ago with the highlyrated Judicial. But Camacho has this year declared the progressive Makanah, the mount of Paul Mulrennan, who was just denied in a strong handicap at Haydock on his most recent outing on August 3.
Steve Brown, the Norton handler’s husband and assistant, said: “He’s a progressive sprinter, but we got to the point with him in handicaps where he was carrying top weight all the time.”
Judicial had featured amongst the Beverley Bullet confirmations, but Brown added: “Once the rain came, that made up our minds not to run him.
“He’ll probably go to the Garrowby Stakes at York a week on Sunday.”
The Beverley Bullet has, in previous years, been held on a Saturday and featured on ITV Racing. However the rejig of the fixture list sees the race staged midweek.
Meanwhile, Makanah’s rivals include Bryan Smart’s Group One- winning sprinter Alpha Delphini who took the race in 2016 before landing the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 2018.
Keep Busy is the mount of Jason Hart who remains buoyed by his York success last weekend with Safe Voyage – he says conditions, and the draw, should suit his filly.
■ Champion apprentice Cieren Fallon has been appointed as Qatar Racing’s second jockey on a two- year deal basis, behind current champion jockey Oisin Murphy.
Fallon, son of legendary former champion jockey Kieren, landed his first Group One success aboard Oxted in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket last month and rode out his claim last Friday.
David Redvers, racing manager of Qatar Racing, said: “The onemeeting restriction, brought in by the BHA, means we need to expand our team.
“Sheikh Fahad has been watching Cieren from the outset of his career. He has an incredibly calm demeanour for his age, an intuitive riding style and is very levelheaded.”
We are pleased to receive confirmation of our pilot events... David Armstrong, chief executive of the Racecourse Association.